&EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency Air and Radiation ANR-459 The Office of Radiation Programs Protecting People and the Environment ------- he Office of Radiation Programs (ORP) carries out the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) radiation protection activities. These activities include issuing policy guidance and regulations; measuring environmental radiation levels; evaluat- ing and assessing the impact of radiation on public health; distributing public information; working with state and local governments and professional and industry groups to promote action to reduce exposure to harmful radiation levels; and responding to radiological emergencies. To effectively carry out its mission, ORP has de- veloped the seven program areas discussed in the following text: Radon Action Program, Nuclear Accident Response, Radioactive Waste Disposal, Radioactively Contaminated Sites, Industrial Radia- tion, Nonionizing Electromagnetic Fields, and Technical Assistance. RADON ACTION PROGRAM he ORP Radon Program is a multifaceted one built on establishing a solid partnership with the states, the private sector, and other Federal agencies. Its goal is to motivate the public to take action to reduce exposure to elevated levels of indoor radon. ORP's approach to this problem is to provide education and technical assistance programs for the states, industry, and the public. In assisting states, ORP identifies and surveys areas with high radon levels in houses, schools and workplaces. ORP helps states conduct radon surveys and has started the National Residential Radon Survey. In addition to identifying radon problems, ORP evaluates methods of reducing or preventing elevated radon levels in existing homes, new con- ------- struction, and large buildings. The results of this effort are transferred to states, the private sector, and other Federal agencies by conducting training courses both na- tionwide and at Regional training centers at major universities. ORP has also devel- oped programs that test the abilities of contractors to measure radon and to fix radon problems, To encourage people to test their homes for radon, ORP has developed a wide array of public information material and conducted numerous major public infor- mation activities. The most recent activi- ties include a national advertising cam- paign in cooperation with the Advertising Council and public education programs with the American Lung Association, National Education Association, American Medical Association, and National Safety Council. NUCLEAR ACCIDENT RESPONSE RP plays a major role in responding to nuclear accidents. During any coordinated Federal response to an accident, ORP is responsible for monitoring and assessing offsite radiation exposures and providing guidance to Federal, state and local officials on when and how to take protective actions. ORP maintains mobile monitoring and assessment teams and a wide variety of sophisticated radiation measurement and communications equipment at its laboratories in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Montgomery, Alabama. ORP maintains the Environmental Radiation Ambient Monitoring System (ERAMS), a nationwide sampling network. ERAMS routinely collects air, precipitation, ------- Electro- Magnetic ^ j Fields (EMF) Uranium Mines & Mill Tailings Nuclear Weapons Production •PDDrii Nuclear Accident Response i / Extremely Low Frequency EMF '——__J High-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal I I Ml Radon Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Environmental Radiation Sources surface and drinking water, and milk samples from which environmental radiation levels are derived. This network has also been used during emergen- cies such as Chernobyl. RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL ny activity using radioactive materials usually creates radioactive waste. These wastes are gener- ally classified into four categories: low-level waste, spent fuel/high-level waste from power reactors, transuranic waste from defense operations, and waste from milling and mining uranium and tho- rium ore. ORP deals with this ever-increasing ------- problem by selling generally applicable environ- mental standards for the safe disposal of radioac- tive waste. Other agencies, such as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the Department of Energy (DOE), implement these standards through their licensing, regulatory, and operational activities. RADIOACIWELY CONTAMINATED SITES adiation contamination is a problem at many sites where radioactive materials are processed and handled. These sites require different procedures for investigation, sampling, and materials handling than do chemically contaminated sites. To help solve this problem, ORP has an active and expand- ing program to support Superfund site cleanup ac- tivities at the growing number of sites on the Na- tional Priorities List. ORP is also developing criteria for cleaning up thousands of radioactively contami- nated buildings and sites for safe alternative uses once they cease industrial operation. INDUSTRIAL RADIATION SOURCES nder the Clean Air Act, ORP has issued regula- tions covering radionuclide emissions from thou- sands of industrial facilities and has initiated an extensive program to enable the states to imple- ment these regulations. Also, ORP has developed guidelines, signed by the President, to protect the approximately 1.3 million workers employed in occupations that expose them to radiation. NONIONIZING ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS onionizing electromagnetic fields come from such sources as microwave emitters, broadcast ------- towers, and radars. They also include the electric and magnetic fields from any use of electricity. ORP assists states and other Federal agencies by making measure- ments of these fields. ORP is assessing the growing body of scientific data on electromagnetic fields and also distributes information on this subject of increas- ing public concern. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE he ORP laboratories in Montgomery and Las Vegas also support other parts of EPA and other Federal and state agencies. The laboratories perform radiochemical analyses and radiological site surveys and play a major role in evaluating radon measure- ment devices. They also make equipment available to other organizations, conduct electromagnetic surveys, and provide advice and training in radiation monitor- ing and laboratory procedures. RADIATION PROGRAM STAFF RP employs people with a wide variety of techni- cal, policy, and administrative skills in carrying out its radiation protection activities. The ORP staff is located in Washington, DC, and at the ORP laboratories in Montgomery and Las Vegas. In addition, each of EPA's 10 regional offices has an active radiation pro- gram that works in concert with ORP. The people making up the ORP and regional staffs include: Health Physicists; Electrical, Chemical, Nuclear, and Mechanical Engineers; Economists; Physicists; Chem- ists; Biologists; Statisticians; Attorneys; Liberal Arts majors; and Clerical and Administrative Support personnel. For more information on the activities of the Office of Radiation Programs write to: Office of Radiation Programs USEPA - ANR-459 Washington, DC 20460 ------- |